GENEVA, Switzerland, Fla., May 24, 2016 – Piper Aircraft announced today that it has completed Show Compliance flight testing under FAA Type Inspection Authorization for the new M600. Together, the FAA and Piper have completed all of the necessary flight testing as prescribed in 14 CFR Part 23 for the M600 project. The completion of this major milestone for the aircraft certification program has cleared the path for the start of Function and Reliability testing which began Monday, May 23rd. Function and Reliability testing is the final stage of the FAA flight test certification program following which Piper Aircraft will receive FAA Type Certification for the M600.
“The M600 program is progressing well and our M600 test articles continue to exceed our expectations. The entire team at Piper Aircraft is completely committed to this program and, as such, has worked diligently to design and produce an industry leading turbo prop product”, said Piper President and CEO, Simon Caldecott, “We continue to work closely with the FAA, as we near the completion of certification for the M600.”
Piper Aircraft is targeting final FAA type certification of the M600 in the third quarter, following the completion of Function and Reliability testing and type design approval by the FAA.
About M600
The M600, the most advanced and capable aircraft in Piper’s M-class line up, seats six and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A turbo prop engine flat rated at 600 SHP. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 274 ktas / 507 km/h and has a max range of 1,441 nm / 2,669 km. The M600 features the most sophisticated general aviation avionics suite available from Garmin. The Garmin G3000 offers industry leading intuitiveness and powerful avionics capabilities.
Innovative pilot interface design allows for easy and efficient flight deck management; increasing safety margins and reducing pilot workload. Ergonomically crafted for the pilot, control of radios, audio and intercom channels, transponder codes, checklists, charts, mapping, flight plan entry and system set up have been greatly simplified with the Garmin GTC 570 touchscreen controller. The dual GTC 570s provide a centralized point of access for the majority of all avionics tuning, selection and data inputs. The M600 has enhanced safety features including Emergency Descent Mode, Electronic Stability Protection, Level Mode and Underspeed / Overspeed Protection.
The M600 interior features newly styled seats which have been optimized for comfort, as well as enhanced side panels with improved passenger interface. Additionally three new color palettes have thoughtfully been created with the customer in mind. A comprehensive survey process helped identify the features and attributes that would be most appreciated by both pilots and customers including USB charging ports, executive folding tables, and folding seats.
The 2016 M600 is listed at a competitive price of $2.853 million.
About Piper Aircraft
Piper Aircraft Inc., headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla., offers aviators throughout the world efficient and reliable single- and twin-engine aircraft. The single-engine M-Class series – the M600, M500, M350 and Matrix – offers businesses and individuals elegant performance and value. The Twin Class Seneca V and Seminole balance proven performance, efficiency and simplicity in twin-engine aircraft. The Trainer Class Warrior, Archer TX, Archer DX, Arrow, Seminole and Seneca V aircraft form the most complete technically-advanced line of pilot training aircraft in the world. All Piper airplanes feature advanced Garmin avionics in the cockpit. Piper is a member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
# # #
Piper Aircraft Inc.
For further information, contact: Jackie Carlon
Phone: (772) 299-2900
Fax: (772) 978-6585
Jackie.Carlon@piper.com
